Restaurant Review: The Fine Diner

Location: 1420 9 Ave SE
Website: http://www.finedinercalgary.com/

The Fine Diner is another place willing to take reservations for brunch through opentable, which is rare among brunch places. Due to maintenance on the train lines, we decided to take our chances with a walk-in since we didn’t know what time we’d get there. I think that most brunch places don’t take reservations primarily because that without reservations, there is a greater turn over meaning more money. A quick look at the menu showed that there were several intriguing dishes that I wanted to try.

We arrived at around 10:30, grabbing the last available table there. We were promptly seated and a kinda grumpy looking waiter came over to us. He would eventually warm up, but at first I wasn’t particularly thrilled. It took us all a few minutes to decide what it was we wanted. Yulin got a regular coffee and a Mushroom Arugula Eggs Benedict, Valerie got a grapefruit juice and a Steak Hash, and I had the Maple Duck Eggs Benedict with a cappuccino. First off, a cappuccino is not served in a coffee mug, and secondly, it tasted a bit off for a cappuccino. I couldn’t say with certainty what it was about the cappuccino that was wrong, but only that there was something. It seemed as though it took a while for the food to come, but that may have just been me being hungry from not eating breakfast.  The duck was medium rare, which I was wary about initially, but it turned out to be quite good. The eggs must have been organic or something because the yolks were the most beautiful golden-orange. I enjoyed the fact that there was fresh fruit and that the hash medley had tri-coloured potatoes. However, not all was good. Yulin ordered her Benedict with the breakfast poutine, but I guess they didn’t hear her or something because it didn’t happen. Though we were disappointed, at least we weren’t charged for it. And steak…the steak was served in a bowl. The most impractical thing I have ever heard. Besides that, the hash underneath was way too salty, they didn’t give Valerie a steak knife for the steak, and they got the temperature on it wrong.

It’s not horrible, but I don’t think I’ll be coming back. 3/5.

Maple Duck Eggs Benedict

Steak Hash

Mushroom Arugula Eggs Benedict